Before I looked on the front page of our blog today to see the daily scripture that was posted in the sidebar, I had already planned to use Curtis' cloud picture for this article. I didn't expect to see another cloud picture attached to Isaiah 55:8 on the daily scripture, but I realized again, that God is in control and that it was the scripture that the Lord wanted me to use for today's blog post. God is always one step ahead of us. To be honest, He's usually ten or twenty steps ahead of us. And for that, I am very grateful. Here is the Bible Verse that was posted on 7/20/2017 (it changes everyday):

I'm thankful that we serve a Heavenly Father whose thoughts and ways are higher than ours. Sometimes, in our carnal human life, we can set the bar rather low. We expect less for ourselves than God expects. We can get to a point in our lives, especially as we get older, where we think that good things aren't in store for us anymore. Because life has dealt us some tiresome blows, we find ourselves driving into an emotional ditch. We reach for mediocrity and God wants nothing less than the best for our lives. However, we may find it difficult to believe that God wants the best for us when we're in a frustrating situation, or we're physically sick, or emotionally drained. We wonder where the Lord is when we're fighting evil, struggling on the job or dealing with financial worries. We pray and it seems that the answer never arrives. Still, God is always in control.

.....His ways are higher than our ways.

Aloe Vera Plants

Just like these Aloe Vera plants have taken root and are growing, God wants us "take root" and grow spiritually. One way that we grow in our Christian walk is the practice of faith. Sometimes the skies look dark and gloomy and sometimes it seems that the answer will never come, but we must believe that our blue sky will soon show up. We must live a life of spiritual expectancy, always expecting God's best for our life.

#FAITH

We must learn to trust God in the storms of life.

Faith is not easy, but it's absolutely necessary to the Christian walk. If we never learn to trust in God, then we will never find peace, no matter the situation. Trusting God means that we get up every morning and thank God that we woke up today and then thank Him for His many blessings. We pray unto the Lord and ask Him to guide our thoughts, our work, our steps and our words. We ask the Lord to give us wisdom and discernment. We pray for His divine protection. We ask Him for healing and help in every trying matter. We ask him to deliver us from the hand of the enemy. ....and then we trust Him. We trust Him completely. Is it easy? Of course, it's not easy. But, it's necessary. If we want peace, we must have faith and trust in the Lord.

College Baptist Church - Mount Vernon, Georgia

The picture above of the church surrounded by the beautiful blue sky is a perfect way to explain "God's ways". When we have faith and trust in God, we can know that no matter the storm, no matter how much rain is falling down, that a blue sky is just around the corner. This is how it feels to trust God. You don't "spiritually" see the dark, gloomy skies. You "spiritually" see the sky of blue. It's called faith. Faith and trust.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Every single day that we wake up is another opportunity to strengthen our faith and deepen our trust. The Lord knows that living in this sinful, selfish world is not easy. He already knows and understands the challenges that we face every minute of every day. But, His promises are true. His ways are perfect. And, He loves us more than anyone could ever love us. As our Father, He is watching us when we think that He's nowhere around. You may think that He's a million miles away; and, in reality, He's standing next to you, helping you every step of the way......if you will trust Him and allow Him to help you. The choice is ours. We can allow God to help us or we can push Him away with doubt and unbelief. God loves us enough to not force usto choose His best for us. We're neither puppets nor robots. We do have a choice. However, life will teach us that faith and trust helps to solve our problems, not doubt and unbelief.

Please don't let another minute go by without turning your life or your circumstance over to God in prayer.

06/06/2017

Anyone who reads this blog knows that we love photography. We especially love bird and nature photography. To look at our pictures is to look at what appears to be a lifestyle of immeasurable peace and tranquility. However, looks can be deceiving.....as they say. To see the beautiful birds, the salmon-pink sunsets, the summer green pastures and the brilliant white moons seems to impart a location of sheer perfection, a place that dreams are made of.

As they say.......looks can be deceiving.

It is possible for a geographical location to create a seemingly endless struggle. Nature may welcome us with open arms, but a community may isolate their neighbors from the progression of new ideas. Even though nature makes us feel at home, sometimes a community will make us feel like fish out of water. Trying to be community-minded is generous in spirit, but receiving community cooperation may be as difficult as roping the wind. A spiritually oppressed people are unable to see the glass half-full. It is possible to have a half-full mentality but geographically live in a half-empty cultural condition. This can be undermining to the concept of success. Geographical spiritual oppression is just that - oppressive.

The Bible says in Proverbs 29:18 that "where there is no vision, the people perish...."

Living in a spiritual wilderness can be emotionally and spiritually debilitating. At times, it's like dragging around the proverbial ball and chain. Sometimes, you feel hungry in your spirit and crave that one morsel of encouragement that only God can give. It's during these times that God can send us manna in the wilderness, just like He sent a raven to feed Elijah by the brook Cherith.

I Kings 17: 4-6

4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

5 So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.

....and so the Lord did for us what He did for Elijah.

He may not have sent a raven to bring us food, but He sent us birds. Many birds.

He sent us Peanut, the Red-bellied Woodpecker.

He sent us Pierre, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

He sent us the Duke of Soperton, the Northern Cardinal.

He sent us Cisco and Coco, the Northern Bobwhite Quail.

In other words, God sent us spiritual manna. Elijah may have been fed physically, but we are fed spiritually by the wonders of God's glorious creation. There are days when our birds help us to keep our focus on the bigger goals and accomplishments. They inspire imagination and creativity. They teach us about faith. The world around us seems crazy and the struggle is exhausting, but in a wilderness of spiritual oppression, we find solace in Genesis 1.

We find peace in "....and God saw that it was good."

Discouragement with our geographical location forces us to look outside and see God's handiwork all around us. We are able to look past the disappointments and frustrations. The result? Hundreds of photographs of birds, birds and more birds. Full Moons. Sunsets. Landscapes. And.... the occasional squirrel in the bird feeder.

Living in the wilderness is not easy. It will never be easy. But.... God will send a bird.

Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

A little over a week ago and on Sunday after church, we decided to ride down to the Altamaha River and the Bullard Creek Wildlife Management Area located in Jeff Davis County, Georgia. We wanted to see if migration had brought us a few more birds to the river.

As we were driving by the river, we saw a Great Egret doing some fishing. In the picture above, the egret had caught three small fish in his bill. He was fishing on the island in the middle of the river. It was a blessing to see this magnificent creation of God and escape from this daily grind called life. No matter how stressed we are about life's daily struggles, the birds keep on....keeping on.

We can learn lessons from nature.

We can find peace in natural surroundings. So many times, we become entangled with the cares of this world, the frustrations, the disappointments, the waiting, the frightening decisions and uncertainty of the future. We become entangled in this thing called life; however, it shouldn't be an entanglement, it should be a journey that we live with excitement and hope.

Many times, people are caught in the daily "brass and glass" culture where the only thing we see are the insides of buildings, offices or cubicles. We rush to work, rush to get home, and dread the cycle all over again. No matter if we're going to work, the doctor's office or the mall, we're in a hurry to get things done (that reminds me of that famous song by the group Alabama).

In the midst of this mad rush, we go to the grocery store, pay the bills, cook the dinner and check the mail. At some point, we collapse on the bed or the couch and attempt to free our mind by watching "Dancing With the Stars" or a college football game. We may check out the latest news or selfies on Facebook.

...and then we miss the Canada Geese leaving for their evening roosting location.

A silhouette of Canada Geese

We spend our lives attempting to live the "American Dream", burning the candle at both ends, and then we wonder why we're exhausted and frustrated all of the time. The "American Dream" is exhausting because it requires you to be successful, have a fancy education, make lots of money, buy an expensive home and stay current on all of the latest gadgets. It's exhausting and costly. It's costly because many times we neglect the most important things in life that God has freely given to us.

Even though work and our daily activities are very important, we need to spend time recharging our emotional and spiritual batteries. It's important to walk outside and breathe in the cool morning air. It's important to identify bird song. It's important to look at something besides a contract, a calendar, a computer or a parking lot. We overwhelm ourselves with full schedules,

...and we miss breathing fresh air and spending time among the tall pines trees.

Many parents spend unbelievable amounts of money to take their children to Disney World; and yet, they never teach them about a Northern Cardinal or introduce them to the beauty of a state park. The child knows Mickey Mouse, but couldn't recognize a Blue Jay if it landed on the front porch. Sad.

Birdwatching is a science and a spiritual experience. We learn about the taxonomy, behavior and habitat of a bird, but we also learn spiritual lessons of faith and provision. In watching birds, we learn about migration and the times of year that birds travel north to south and vice versa. In watching birds, we also learn about the weather and how the weather controls bird movement in an area.

Birdwatching is free, natural, educational and spiritually uplifting. Disney World is expensive, artificial, culturally insignificant in the greater scope of things and physically exhausting. Nature represents reality while Disney represents a fantasy.

The American culture is teaching our children to work--work--work-- spend--spend--spend, work some more, and spend even more. It becomes second nature to take hard-earned money and go stare at an underpaid employee in a mouse costume. And yes, our family made the pilgrimage to Disney World and waved at Mickey. However, we also drove through the Central Florida orange groves and breathed in that heavenly citrus scent.

It's not a sin to go to Disney World, but it's destructive to the spirit to be unbalanced in our daily life. We need time to rest, reflect, pray and free our minds from the chains of cultural demands. It's a lovely testimony of the blessings of God to be able to work hard and be prosperous, but money becomes an idol when it's not balanced with the most important blessings from Heaven:

God, family, love, faith and an appreciation and respect for God's creation.

We can sum this up by saying this....Life is beautiful.

God Loves You.

Faith is Real.

Family is Important.

Nature is Invigorating.

Don't miss the joy.

Don't become so busy that you miss the Waxing Gibbous Moon.

Our prayer for today:

God, we thank you for your many blessings that you have bestowed upon us. Even when things are not perfect and we must deal with trials and tribulations, we praise you because you're always near. Increase our faith and give us a positive outlook on life so that we may be a Godly example to others.

Help us to be ever mindful of Your many blessings and give us the wisdom to slow down and rest, and develop a deep appreciation for the lovely natural surroundings that you have given to us for free.

Thank you for your love and thank you for your son Jesus Christ, who gave His all so that we might be spiritually free. Help us to implement balance in our lives so that we may lead a more productive life.

Please strengthen with relationship to You so that we may be reminded daily that our spiritual condition is more important than the acquisition of money and a lifestyle of materialism. Guide us and lead us into a path of righteousness so that we may be a light in a world of darkness.

In Jesus' name we pray.....Amen!

Psalm 96

O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.

2 Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; shew forth His salvation from day to day.

3 Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders among all people.

4 For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above all gods.

5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.

6 Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

Once again, your dreams, hard work and big ideas are crushed like flies underneath a flyswatter.

….and then the frustration begins…..and sometimes…..you realize, just one more time, that life is hard.

Sometimes….. you’re just done.

Stick a fork in it, you’re done.

Sometimes, it seems that every idea, every creative burst of energy, every God-given talent is trampled by a force of negativity that refuses your forward movement, productivity or success.

There are times when it seems that every act of generosity is crushed with a spirit of ungratefulness. The more you give and the more you do, the more they ignore it, misuse it or disrespect it.

There are days when no matter how hard you try, how much you push or how much you dream, you finally wake up to the nightmare of reality. It isn’t working. It can’t work. Consequently, someone is always glad to tell you why it won’t work. No matter what the motivational gurus say, the “no” is always more powerful than the “yes”.

You may ask, “Why?”Because the “no” has the power to stop you in your tracks. One more “no” can shut you down and render you helpless, discouraged and defeated. The next “no” can be the reason you quit. When you give into the power of “no”, your creative energy and bright ideas are drained from you like a Hollywood vampire drains his victims of their blood.

For every blessing, for every good thought, for every possibility, there is a little demon hiding around the corner, excitedly awaiting to exchange blessing for curse, faith for fear and success for failure. The demon is always there. You can’t miss him.

Just have a good idea and he shows up. Produce a beautiful piece of work and watch what happens. Do something nice for someone and here he comes, ready to shatter like glass that moment of gratitude or opportunity. It’s like clockwork. It’s a 24/7 struggle.

You’re now in survival mode; however, your dreams are more than just dreams. Your creativity is more than just creativity. It is God’s way of demonstrating the fact that we are created in His image, in His likeness. If we are creative, it’s because of Him. If we have good ideas, it’s because of Him.

If we demonstrate productivity and accomplishment, it’s because of Him. If we have talent, it’s because of Him. God gave us the brain power to figure things out and create. God and creation go hand in hand. God tells us in the very first chapter of the Bible.

Genesis 1: 26 - 27

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.

The Old Testament was translated from Hebrew. To further understand the idea of creation and creativity, we need to look at the original Hebrew word for “create”. The Hebrew word is Bara’.

Definition

to create, shape, form

(Qal) to shape, fashion, create (always with God as subject)

of heaven and earth

of individual man

of new conditions and circumstances

of transformations

(Niphal) to be created

of heaven and earth

of birth

of something new

of miracles

(Piel)

to cut down

to cut out

to be fat

(Hiphil) to make yourselves fat

So, as you can see, the idea of creation and creativity comes directly from God. And, since evil opposes everything that is God, evil will obviously oppose your positive, God-given creativity. Evil opposes your talents and generosity of spirit.

Evil opposes everything that is holy and sacred to God.

Therefore, it is important to saturate our spirits with the Word of God. The negativity and foolishness of this world is sometimes more than we can handle, especially if it shows up in more than one serving per day.

The spirit of this world wants us to fail. God wants us to prevail.

Our blessings come from God, but the world wants to strip us of our gratitude. The world does not offer salvation. Jesus Christ gives us the gift of salvation and the promise of eternal life. The world cannot destroy the promises of God. The world can hinder, persecute and disrespect you, but the world cannot steal your salvation, your joy, or even your talents and creativity.

The world can certainly make it much more difficult to prosper and progress. The world can certainly throw stumbling blocks in your path, but the onslaught of worldly difficulties cannot take away the spirit of creativity that God has given to you. The world can discourage you and slow you down, but it cannot take away that which is ordained by God.

The world can tell you “no”; but in the midst of rejection, God will make a way when there seems to be no way. He is God. Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent. He was God yesterday and He will be God tomorrow.

The power of “no” will never be more powerful than the hand of God.

As long as we’re serving God, we can trust Him to lead us in the right direction. We can trust Him to use our talents and creativity to bring glory and honor to Him and His Word.

At the same time, we can also trust God to open doors that need to be opened and close doors that need to be closed. My grandmother used to tell me, “Sometimes our disappointments are God’s appointments.” Sometimes, and this may be difficult for us to digest, but a “no” may be exactly what we need. Why? Because God sees further down the road; consequently, He has better plans for us.

God is omniscient. He sees what we cannot see.

Therefore, trust God. Trust Him with your talents, ideas and creativity. Always measure and question your ideas to see if they are consistent with the Word of God. Use your talents to bring glory to God. Stay focused. Keep the faith. Pray continually. God will make a way when there seems to be no way to move forward or even succeed.

Your creativity is a gift from our Creator, God.

Every morning, God gives us new artwork in the sky, music from bird song; and, depending upon our location, the fragrance of pine trees, the color of bluebonnets or the sound of a babbling brook. Each day, we may experience the chill of mountain air, a sunset in the desert or the salty mist of an ocean breeze. We may experience the color of wheat, a fresh fallen snow, a shower of rain or a brilliant full moon. God's handiwork of creation is all around us and in us.

Give thanks for His many blessings and trust in His divine guidance.

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

07/29/2013

Sometimes, in the midst of difficult decisions, constant concerns, and waiting for doors to open, God makes us smile. Usually, waiting is not easy. Answers don't always come immediately after we pray, but sometimes God gently nudges us and reminds us that everything will be okay.

The valley of decision can be a deep and impatient valley. And, it's during those times that we need to look outside of our situation and think about something new and different.

Carolina Chickadee waits for the male Northern Cardinal to move!

On those days, when it seems the answer will never come.....

On those days, when it seems you can't see a light at the end of a tunnel.....

On those days, when you feel discouragement eclipsing your joy.....

God will give us a reason to smile.

We had been feeling particularly frustrated about a decision that needed to be made. No matter where we had looked, we couldn't find an answer. The frustration was like the summer humidity in Georgia, stifling and overwhelming.

....and then I looked outside to see the most adorable little Cardinal with her little top-knot of hair standing straight up. In a single moment, I forgot my frustrations and concerns and laughed out loud as I thought, "Why doesn't my hair gel work like that?"

Nature photography has provided us many opportunities to smile and forget our worries and concerns. Consequently, today was no different because the Lord wants us to trust Him completely for answers, decisions, provision, healing and protection.

Hebrews 11:11

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not seen.

The Lord wants us to keep the faith. Therefore, when we're in a tailspin because we can't find answers to our questions or confirmation for our decisions, He sometimes draws us outside in nature, reminding us that as He takes care of the birds and the animals, He will take care of us as well. God reminds us that everything will be okay......and He makes us smile.

Our Red-Bellied Woodpecker (Papa) and junior flying off in the background

Matthew 6: 27 - 30

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you,

That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you,

04/21/2013

The exotic photograph, the remote location, the rare
moment that produces the award winning photograph.

Who doesn't think of such? But, who actually gets there?

Is there a plan "B"? Is there a way to quell, at least for a
moment, the lust for the out-of-reach? Is there an approach that yields beauty or peace, tells a story, offers possibility, reports magnificence, generates
energy, excites the imagination and provides satisfaction without breaking the
bank or exhausting the body? Since faith
is about the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen,
I decided to experiment.

The nudge that became my act of faith, I chose to
silence the longing for the exotic location and the million-dollar shot long
enough to see what was before my eyes.

Georgia Pecan Tree

I gave myself the assignment of a single location, my
backyard. The discipline included no wandering around. I would take a seat in a lawn chair and
attend to the the sky of clouds that unfolded before me. I would suspend, at least for a moment, the
tormenting belief that the best was somewhere else, that beauty could only be
reproduced with equipment costing thousands of dollars, and that whatever I saw
was never enough and not right.

In
Biblical terms, I would accept that "manna is fresh every
morning." I took those words to
mean that what I needed to nourish my spirit as a person and a photographer was
available and near at hand. All I need
to do was pay attention.

But, fidgeting and fiddling with the camera, and wishing it
was a high-end multi-circuited professional to die for, "with only twelve
like it in the world kind-of-lust" hangs on. It took awhile. A long while.

Lust is what it is, and it is not a weak force,

especially when it wears
the face of frustration.

Frustration is an aggravating habit. Faith is a choice every day and in every
situation. Frustration whispers dark
thoughts that generates unrequited desire and shrouds the moment in the prelude
of disappointment.

"That cloud is
too gray. Why didn't they put a thumb
rest on this camera? I wish a bird would
fly into the light blue area. This thing
focuses too slow. I really should be
standing over there rather than sitting over here.

If I were in the Bahamas…..."

Frustration blinds by way of distraction, usually
negative distraction. Faith enables
sight by way of anticipation and appreciation.
Faith is a choice and a practice. Frustration is a dismal habit. Faith is an encouraging choice. Frustration blocks. Faith offers the option to see and
enjoy.

As I clicked away, I found myself lost in the
fascination of the ever-changing scene before me. The what if's, and the should be's, and the
ought's and the why not's slid out of the way.
I discovered, at least for a few minutes, that it was possible to bloom
where you are planted. At least for the
moment, I discovered the Creator God offering a new look, a fresh view and a
one-of-a-kind moment by way of little more than me paying attention to the
world He offered at the end of my nose.

Simple does it.

The moment and the scene before us
offers the unique,

the special and the one of a kind.

A second, often 1/2000 of a second, never to be repeated,
and from your specific location, seen only by you, becomes the gift of the day.

I really think though, next time, I'm putting the lawn
chair over there.